Corset.



Patented nec. 9,- 1902.. J. BowEns.

consu. (Applimibn med June 13, 1901.)

(N'o Model.)

INVENTOR-` WITNESSES:

Whew ATTORNEYS.

TH: Nnnls Farms cc.. PHoTaLITHo.. WASHINGTON, u4 c.

UNITED STATES PATENT OEEICE.

JAMES BOWERS, OF CALDWELL, NEW JERSEY.

CORSET.

SPECIFICATION forming part of Letters Patent No. 715,544, dated December 9, 1902.

Application filed June 13, 1901. Serial No. 64,429. (No model.)

To all whom it muy concern:

Be it known that I, JAMES BOWERS, a citizen o f the United States, residing at Caldwell, v

in the county of Essex and State of New Jersey, have invented certain new and useful Improvements in Corsets; and I do hereby declare the following to be a full, clear, and exact description of the invention, such as will enable others skilled in the art to which it appertains to make and use the same, reference being had to the accompanying drawings, and to letters of reference marked thereon, which form a part of this specification.

The objects of this invention are to reduce the cost of construction and to increase the neatness of appearance of the corset, to avoid the use of more bulky stay-hooks for holding skirt-bands in place, and to obtain a more rigid and firm seat for the hook upon the corset, and to secure other advantages and results, some of which may be referred to hereinafter in connection with the description of the working parts.

The invention consists in the improved corset, in the corset-clasp, and in the flat eye and hook therefor, all substantially as will be hereinafter described, and finally embraced in the clauses of the claims.

Referring to the accompanying drawings,

-in which'like letters of reference indicate corresponding parts in each of the several figures, Figure l is a front perspective view of a corset having my improvements. Fig. 2 is a front perspective view of the flat eye with a preferred form of hook attached to a claspsteel. Fig. 3 is a front view of the iiat eye, showing a modified form of slot; and Fig. 4 shows another modification in which the hook is not formed integrally with the flat eye.

In said drawings, a indicates the body of a corset or corset-Waist of any suitable design, h is a steel adapted to be inserted in a pocket formed in said corset and having a series of ilat eyes c c riveted thereon, and d is a flat eye and hook combined, perforated and riveted upon the steel, and therewith forming one of the members of the corset-clasp. Said combined iat eye and hook d is provided with an opening e to receive the stud c of the cooperating clasp member, and at a point below said stud-opening e said ilat eye is provided with an integral extension, which is bent to form a hook d', beneath which the band of the wearers skirt may enter and be caught, so that said skirt will not ride up the waist of the corset out of proper place. By making the hook and flat eye d in one integral piece the said hook may be firmly riveted upon a firm metallic bed or seat, such as the steel affords, without adding to the perforations of the steel, and thus impairing its strength to resist breakage when flexed in ordinaryusethat is to say, the rivet-s y, which fasten the iiat eye in place, serve also as fastenings for the hook, and thus the hook which holds down the skirt-band is secured firmly without any additional expense or labor in the construction of the corset except the slight addition of metal and die work required in forming the hook on the iiat eye.

The combined hook and flat eye is sometimes placed upon the market independent.

of the steel as an article of trade. At other times it is applied about midway of the steel, forming, with other flat eyes above and below the same on said steel, one of the members of a corset-clasp, and the article thus produced is marketed for insertion in the corset; but ordinarily I manufacture a corset complete with my improvement, the combined iiat eye and hook d being arranged at the front of the corset about midway between the top and bottom of the corset, the hook d', projecting downward from the lower part of the portion d2 of the fiat eye, having the opening for the stud of the cooperating clasp so that said hook, seated tirmlyon the steel, will overlie the band of the wearers skirt, holding such skirt without rendering the corset unv sightly.

The integral piece of sheet metal comprising the iiat eye and hook at one end d3 is provided with a plurality of porforations. These are in vertical or approximately vertical line in the preferred construction, so that there will be no necessity for perforating the claspsteel more than once in a horizontal line, which would tend to weaken the steel and cause a breakage when flexed or subjected to the wearers strain of the body. The end d3, having the vertical series or plurality of rivetperforations d4, and the part d2, having the stud-opening, lie flat in a given plane, the parthaving the rivet-perforations bein gseated IOO upon the steel and the part having the studopening and hook projecting laterally from one edge of the clasp member on which it is seated to overlie or lie in front of the clasp member having the studs c, so that the stud, standing out from the front face of its member, enters the horizontally-disposed opening e of the flat eye, and the hook d overlies the firm steel of said clasp member having said stud, so that a receptacle with permanentlyparted opposite side Walls for the Waist band or belt is formed, which receptacle While staying the np movement of the band or belt of the skirt will permit a free and easy longitudinal movement thereof. Furthermore, the hook cl thus disposed does not interfere With the meet-ing of the edges of the clasp members or occasion Wear upon the fabric forming the pockets for the steels.

Having thus described the invention, what I claim as new isl. In a corset, the combination of two corset-steels adapted to be brought edgewise together in the same plane, one of said steels having back or in from its edge a headed pin or stud projecting perpendicularly, and the other steel having a flat eye secured flatwise upon itself and projecting beyond its edge to overlap upon the first-named steel, said dat eye having a keyhole-slot therein and having at its edge at one side of said slot an integral tongue extending parallel to the steel to which said dat eye is secured, said tongue overlying the other or first-named steel When the steels are connected and being bent outward away therefrom and adapted to form therewith a hook-recess Whose Walls are held rigidly apart at a xed distance.

2. A dat eye for corset-fastenings, comprising a single integral piece of sheet metal providing a flat body portion with a keyhole-slot therein and a tongue disposed transversely of said slot and projecting from the edge of the body portion at a point opposite the reduced end of the said keyhole-slot,said tongue being bent or curved out of the plane of the body portion.

In testimony that I claim the foregoing I have hereunto set my hand this 10th day of June, 1901.

JAMES BOWERS. Witnesses:

CHARLES I-I. PELL, RUSSELL M. EvERET'r. 

